Saturday’s Republican Party state assembly in Boulder promises to be a fascinating one.[2] Seven Republicans are running for governor and a chance to unseat Democrat John Hickenlooper[3]. Two candidates submitted signatures and five are going through the assembly process. Candidates need 30 percent to get on the ballot so do the math.

“What’s your prediction for governor?” delegates asked each other over and over again Friday, when congressional and legislative districts met to nominate candidates.

Wadhams recalled the 1996 GOP assembly when there was an open seat for the U.S. Senate. Congressman Wayne Allard[4] and Attorney General Gale Norton[5] were considered the top candidates, but there was plenty of speculation that Norton would keep Allard off the ballot.

Wadhams, Allard’s campaign manager, was almost giddy as he recalled that day.

Allard took 41 percent of the delegate vote and almost kept Norton off. She got 31.1 percent. Dividing the rest of the vote, but not making the ballot, were state Sen. Charles Duke, R-Monument, with 18 percent, and Denver lawyer Bill Eggert, a last-minute entrant at the assembly, with 10 percent.

“Wayne has been underestimated his entire political career,” Wadhams said, at the time.

Allard went on to beat Norton in the primary, and Democrat Tom Strickland that November. Allard again defeated Strickland in 2002.

Other notable GOP assemblies:

2010: Political neophtye Dan Maes[6] narrowly edged former Congressman Scott McInnis at the assembly, 49.35 percent to 48.89 percent[7]. Maes went on to win the primary, but got only 11 percent of the vote in the general election when deeper scrutiny of his background turned up big problems. Hickenlooper was elected governor. Wadhams was state party chairman at the time.

1980: The GOP thought it had a chance of unseating Democratic U.S. Sen. Gary Hart[8] and what ensued was an assembly battle that folks still talk about. The Spot wrote about it recently because of the death of Bo Callaway[9]. Wadhams was Callaway’s campaign driver.